Biking in the Kootenays 

On Thursday, July 9 Lynne Young and I drove to Cranbrook to meet Jane and KayDonna for a week of biking in the Kootenays. Once we turned south just east of Revelstoke, I was in terra incognito. We drove through lovely countryside along the Columbia River with the Hughes Range rising impressively in the east and arrived in Cranbrook in time for dinner with Jane and KD. 

On Friday we all biked along a rail trail from Cranbrook to Kimberley for lunch in a park and back for a total of approximately 60km. 

On Saturday we rode on the Chief Isadore Trail out of Cranbrook across stretches of grassland that extended to the Hughes Range in the east. We also did part of the Mayook Trail, an easy/intermediate mountain bike trail. I couldn't have done it without my trusty Opus Connect which is back in great shape after its disastrous rattling north of Falkland. The trail was narrower and bumpier than the rail trails. It was also slightly uphill with switchbacks so without power I wouldn't have been able to maintain the speed necessary to keep my balance. We rose to the point where there was a caution sign. Like Falstaff, we decided that:"The better part of valour is discretion."😂Going down was harder than going up from the point of view of balance, so we were all happy that we hadn't assumed any false courage, except for Lynne perhaps. She's a real goer. That was our most adventurous ride of the week. It was about 50km in total. We were tired by the end. 

On Sunday we left Cranbrook at 9am and drove to the Creston Valley where we rode our bikes for about 25km along paved back roads through beautiful countryside. Then we drove on to Nelson. 

Jane had done most of the planning of bike routes and reservations of hotels, but as I was the one who had never been to Nelson and really wanted to see it, I reserved our rooms there. I chose the Mountain Hound Inn on Baker Street, downtown Nelson. If we only had one night there, I wanted to be able to walk around town. But there was no parking at the hotel. I had phoned to confirm that they had a secure room where we could keep our bikes and that there was pay parking on the street and a lot nearby. That was good enough for me, but I have never been known for excessive forethought. It used to drive my very thorough planning father to distraction, but I would tell him not to worry, sometimes you're lucky. This time I was. You couldn't ask for a more secure bike room and as we arrived early on a Sunday afternoon there were two parking spots right in front of the hotel which we could stay in for free until we left at 9am on Monday. Parking is free in Nelson on Sundays. Whew !😅My one responsibility was successfully behind me. We walked all over town ending at a good restaurant, the All Seasons Left Coast Restaurant, that Lynne had been to before. 

On Monday morning it was cool. We rode our bikes on the Burlington Rail Trail out of Nelson toward Salmo. It was a good shady trail but the surface got gradually tougher and then mucky so we headed back. It was around 30km in total. We drove to Castlegar and settled into the hotel. Before dinner we went for a walk on the Selkirk College Trail along the Kootenay River, a Northern tributary of the Columbia. 

On Tuesday morning we drove out of Castlegar to the South Slocan Trailhead and rode for about 25km along the Slocan Valley Rail trail. It follows the Slocan River which flows into the Kootenay River. The trail was asphalt for the first 4km, then crushed rock which was a bit rough in places. We ate lunch on the way back sitting on a unique bench overlooking the river. It was a good ride but our rears were ready to get off the bike seats after about 50km. 

KayDonna and Jane with me on a bridge over the Slocan River

The bench we sat on to eat our lunch

Wednesday was our last day of biking. As we were in the heart of Doukhobor country in BC, we decided to ride along the Pass Creek Road from Castlegar to Krestova, where many of the Sons 

of Freedom used to live. Until we planned this trip I knew little about the Doukhobors other than what I heard when I was young about them being naked and starting fires. On Tuesday night I read a bit and discovered something about the group as a whole, including the fact that they had to leave Russia because they were pacifists who destroyed their weapons and refused to fight for the tsar in 1895 and that Lev Tolstoy admired them so much that he became instrumental in helping them get out of Russia and to Canada. I also read a 1955 article in Maclean's Magazine which helped me understand why my knowledge of the Doukhobors was so limited. After the ride we visited the Doukhobor Discovery Centre outside Castlegar. It focused on the peaceful communities in that area, their farming and wood and metal crafts. The whole area reflected the Doukhobor slogan: "Toil and Peaceful Life". Then we walked across the suspension bridge over the Kootenay River near where it joins the Columbia. It was built by the Doukhobors in 1913 to get their goods from their town of Brilliant (named for the sparkling waters of the two rivers) to Castlegar and beyond. 

On Thursday Lynne and I drove home on highway 33 along the Kettle River to Kelowna. 

I had only seen a bit of the Kootenays when Miche and I drove there during her stay with me a few years ago. On that trip we remarked on the number of motorcycle camping sites and the fact that the good, winding roads would be perfect for motorcycling. The whole area is beautiful and good for cycling too. Now that BC is in Stage 3 of Covid 19 and open to travel within the province, most of the hotels, restaurants and tourist venues in the Kootenays are making a serious effort to comply with all health advisories. I felt quite safe on the trip and it was good to get beyond the Okanagan. But I'm not much of a traveller any more. I'm happy to be home and more appreciative than ever of the fact that I have one.